Zoë Howe

Zoë Howe’s books span the worlds of music, culture and the occult. A strong advocate for women and cultural figures who have been underestimated or marginalised, she was part of the core team behind the award-winning documentary Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, and her 2009 debut, Typical Girls? The Story of the Slits, has been acknowledged as the first full-scale biography of a female group. Subsequently, Zoë’s music books have covered artists including Stevie Nicks, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Poly Styrene, The Jam, and Dr Feelgood, and she was a contributing author to the updated edition of The Art of Punk in 2022.

More recent books include Witchful Thinking: The Wise Woman’s Handbook for Creating A Charmed Life and Scorpio Witch (Llewellyn). Zoë was the editor of Pauline Murray’s hit memoir Life’s A Gamble and Lindsay Reade’s A Continual Farewell: My Life In Letters With Tony Wilson. Her debut novel Shine On, Marquee Moon was shortlisted for the Virginia Prize in 2016, and she was announced as music writing festival, Louder Than Words’ Festival Luminary in 2017. Her popular radio show ‘Rock ’n’ Roll Witch’, which brings together her two passions of music and magical life, airs monthly on the award-winning station Soho Radio. Her next book, Witching The Wild Year, co-authored by author and conservationist Ajay Tegala, will be published in 2027 via The History Press.

Zoë Howe is an author, editor, artist and broadcaster; her work spans the worlds of popular culture and folklore. In addition to her Fellowship at Newnham and Selwyn Colleges, University of Cambridge, Zoë has worked extensively with the Royal Literary Fund for their Writing for Life programme. This has seen her delivering a variety of workshops and courses to community groups, schools, unions and NHS Recovery Colleges UK-wide. Zoë is currently an RLF Fellow for the NHS Trust, most recently resident at University College London Hospital. Passionate about the tangible effects Writing for Life projects can bring, Zoë finds the work truly rewarding, powerful, and often life-changing.